Most SA locals had no Sampson fire plan

Only a quarter of those affected by the destructive Sampson Flat bushfires in Adelaide's north east, which destroyed 27 homes, had a written escape plan, a study has found.

Two thirds of residents effected by the January fires either had no written bushfire plan or if they did have one it was ineffective, the study by Central Queensland University's Appleton Institute and the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Co-operative Research Centre has found.

This lack of planning exposed residents to the risk of panic if forced to evacuate late or if they did not understand emergency messages.